Czech Marionettes in Balboa ParkBig Joe uses traditional Czech marionettes to tell the story of Princess Phoebe's Birthday Present. Czech puppetry was imported in the late 17th Century by itinerant puppeteers from Holland, England, France, and Italy. Initially Czechs assisted the foreign groups, but by the end of the 18th Century Czech companies had been established. The puppets got smaller and more stylized, and the size of their heads and hands (the most expressive parts of the puppet) became more exaggerated.

Discussion Panel: The Way Forward on the Korean PeninsulaFollowing the South Korean elections, will the U.S. face challenges with its new strategy of "maximum pressure and engagement?" This roundtable discussion will consider the Koreas' relations with China and the U.S. in the context of ongoing developments in North Korea's nuclear and missile program.

Speakers:
Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and William J. Perry Distinguished Fellow, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University
Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy, Council on Foreign Relations
John Delury, Yonsei University
Duyeon Kim, Visiting Senior Fellow, Korean Peninsula Future Forum, Seoul
Moderated by Stephan Haggard, GPS

Co-sponsored by the Pacific Century Institute and the Transnational Korean Studies.

Italian Film: Latin LoverIt's been 10 years since the passing of Saverio Crispo, Italy's most beloved movie star and most prolific ladies' man. He left behind five daughters, each from a different relationship in a different part of the world. To mark the anniversary of his death, mothers and daughters alike gather in his hometown to piece together the puzzle of the man they've known only as an icon. The international cast of Latin Lover features Almodóvar actresses, three-time David di Donatello winner Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and the late Virna Lisi in her final screen appearance.

Robert A. Kittle is an award-winning journalist who served for nearly two decades as the editorial page editor of the "San Diego Union-Tribune." Now an independent historian, he lives in La Jolla, California.

This event is free and open to the public. Reserved seating is available when the book is pre-ordered from Warwick's for the event. Only books purchased from Warwick's will be signed. Please call the Warwick's Book Dept. (858) 454-0347 for details.

Stage: Shockheaded PeterFall into the world of Victorian nightmares as a manic music box spins stories of naughty children and misguided parents. Silly and sinister, Shockheaded Peter dares us to ask what's beneath the floorboards. Don't miss the most damning tale ever told on stage!

Stage: Having Our SayNew Village Arts could have a mega-hit on its hands. Their Having Our Say is easily one of the year's very best thus far. Sadie and Bessie Delaney (Emily Mann based the play on actual African-American sisters) have invited us to celebrate their father's birthday. It's 1993. He passed away long ago. In fact, the sisters have outlived just about everyone else in the family. Sadie is 103, Bessie's 101. They participated in over a century of American history, and givedeeply felt personal accounts of life under Jim Crow laws, the Harlem Renaissance, and Civil Rights. Whilequiet Sadie avoids confrontations,"Queen" Bessie would rather die (and almost does) than cowtow to prejudice. Milena (Sellers) Phillips' Sadie and Sylvia M'Lafi Thompson's Bessie are outstanding. It's as if each plays a bucket list role. And their ritual-like, extensive preparations of a meal are amazing to behold. Christopher Scott Murillo must have imported hisintricately-detailed set from the Delaney's Mt. Vernon home. Alldesign elements jibe beautifully. And it's impossible to believe that Melissa Coleman-Reed made her directorial debut with this truly splendid show.

Music: MalamañaMalamaña is the the combination of the musical flavors and talents of San Diego guitarists John "Juanito" Tidwell and Fred "Fredi" Kunze. Malamaña is proud to call San Diego its home and Cafe Sevilla its headquarters.